Lacey Baier - Clean-Eating Breakfasts and Lunches Made Simple: 75 Flavorful and Nutritious Recipes that Ditch Processed Ingredients

Clean-Eating

BREAKFASTS AND LUNCHES

MADE SIMPLE

FLAVORFUL AND NUTRITIOUS RECIPES
THAT DITCH PROCESSED INGREDIENTS

LACEY BAIER

CREATOR OF A SWEET PEA CHEF

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TO MY LOBSTER

Hey there, Lacey here!

Im the writer and editor of A Sweet Pea Chef, a blog where I share easy, clean-eating recipes anyone can make. Im so glad youre here. Let me start by asking you a question: Have you ever struggled with enjoying healthy food? Like enjoying it enough to stick with actually eating it?

I know I have!

My relationship with food has been a complicated one for as long as I can remember. I have always loved food a lot (duhfoods amazing, right?). The trouble was that it became obvious that I did. Thats because I wasnt too fond of healthy foods or moderation, really. Instead, I preferred comfort foods like pizza, burgers, tacos, pasta, and desserts. I still do, to be honest. But, after years of counting calories, trying various diets, losing weight, and gaining it right back again, I realized something had to change. For real. Not just for a limited period of time, but for good. Thats when I decided to change my lifestyle and to embrace clean eating.

At the beginning, I was scared. The thought of never being able to enjoy a pizza or a slice of cheesecake terrified me, and made me nervous to even start. Would I enjoy a life without these foods I love, even if I was healthier? I wasnt sure. While I knew exactly how to end my struggle with weight, I was worried at what cost. I also knew I would miss my favorite foods and be unhappy. Who wants to eat bland chicken breast and raw carrot sticks for the rest of their life, yknow? Or never enjoy a birthday the same way because no birthday cake is allowed. Not me!

After experimenting with a ton of different diets and fads, I realized I didnt have to give up my favorite foods. With clean eating and choosing whole, unrefined ingredients, I could eat nutritious meals without hating my food. That meant I didnt have to give up my favorite foodsall I had to do was adjust them a little bit. And this is true for you, too. Trust me, these clean-eating recipes will taste just as amazing as your favorite foods, but they will be good for your body, too! Its flipping awesome!

Im seriously so glad my plan worked! Sometimes, I feel like I cheated because its so simple. I manage to eat healthy, have fun, feel satisfied (this ones a biggie!), and create delicious recipes all at the same time.

Step by step, you can replace the processed, traditional ingredients you use with unprocessed, clean ones. Its not difficult, and Im here to show you the way. Its actually very easy once you get the hang of it.

Why breakfasts and lunches for this cookbook? The answer is simple: because theyre hard! Breakfasts and lunches are the meals that get rushed or even forgotten during the week, even though they have such an impact on our energy levels and mood during the daynot to mention our waistlines. Often they wind up being too boring, bland, or repetitive because people think there are only a few healthy options to make.

After reading this cookbook, I hope youll be surprised by how many amazing options you actually have. Despite what you might think, clean-eating options for breakfast and lunch are by no means limited or boringat least, they dont have to be. Even coolerthey dont have to be expensive, time-consuming, or super complicated either! Once you learn the basics and you start to get creative in the kitchen, the opportunities are endless.

Eating clean is about having control over the ingredients you put in your body. Its not a diet or a fad. Its a lifestylea clean and happy lifestyle that wont make you second guess if its worth it. In fact, youll love your food more than ever, because its not only tasty, it will give you energy, help you maintain a healthy weight, and nourish your body. Its an opportunity to treat your body and mind as it deserves to be treated and to move beyond artificial, fake, and manufactured foods. Happy body, happy mind, happy life.

Youll learn that clean eating doesnt restrict calories or food groups. Its about balance, choosing the best foods from every food group, and combining them into well-balanced meals youll love. Get ready to feel nourished and satisfiedsomething most diets definitely dont allow, and definitely something that was a big turnoff for me when I was desperately trying so many restrictive diets to lose weight.

Im glad I have you on board, and I hope youre ready and excited to change your life for the better and to become a healthy, happy person who is able to enjoy favorite foods without stress. As you get started, make small changes and you will notice big differences. You dont have to give up processed ingredients all at once. Rather, reduce them one or two at a time. Then, once your body and tastes adjust, reduce additional unclean foods until eating clean becomes effortless. One day, you wont believe how much sugar and fake foods you were eating, and youll get the simple pleasure of enjoying the natural sweetness of a carrotI promise. This is an opportunity for you to take control of your food and your life.

Be mindful of what clean living really meanswhats good and bad for you in foods and why its so important to pay attention to those nutrition and ingredients labels on your food.

I know home cooking takes time and energysomething were all short on. But preparing meals need not be a long or complicated process. Take advantage of the clean, delicious, and simple meals in this cookbook, many of which can be made ahead to save time during the week. Throughout this book, youll see tips for which recipes can be made ahead easily and then stored in your fridge for up to 4 or 5 days, making them great grab-and-go meals. Even starting with one home-cooked breakfast or lunch in a week is a drastic improvement over eating at restaurants or choosing prepackaged foods.

I wish you the best of luck on your clean-eating journey, and I cant wait for you to discover how much you love your new clean lifestyle!

Lets get started!

While eating clean is healthy, its not quite the same as healthy eating. To make clean eating easier for you to understand and approach, I have identified eight basic guidelines to clean eating that will help you understand each food you choose. Now, there are always exceptions and allowances: thats why this is a list of guidelines, not a list of rules. Remember, I am here to make your life easier, not to restrict your options. Consider these tips for how to approach your clean-eating lifestyle.

1. COOK YOUR OWN FOOD

Cooking your own food gives you full control over the ingredients youre using to make your meals. You are able to skip ingredients or replace them with healthier options, which is not possible if you dine out, get takeout, or purchase prepared foods or mixes from the supermarket.